Sunday, March 25, 2007

Cute Food

A couple of months ago I stumbled upon a site that was filled with delicious treats made out of yarn. Being a yarn lover/crocheter, the scarves on this site really appealed to me. Twinkie Chan makes such adorable scarves, all based on foods!

I recently had the privilege of doing an interview with her, about her crafty business and such.

So tell us, who is Twinkie Chan? On a very literal level, Twinkie Chan is me! :) I wanted a different name for my crafty persona, to make a clean separation from my day-job/serious persona. Twinkie Chan is a gal who finds the world delightful and delicious and wants to share that joy with you!

How did you come up with the name? Chan is my mother's maiden name, and twinkies are just a funny food item to me. I don't like to eat them, as they seem to be made out of spaceage radioactive materials that will last the centuries.

What inspired you to start crocheting such cute things? I've crocheted weird little things since I was really little. I've always been obsessed with fake plastic food. It's just hilarious to me for some reason. So when I wanted to make some scarves for myself a few years ago, I found myself wanting to make them look like foods.

What is your favorite part about having your own business? I work in publishing by day, and it's my job to support, and guide creative people. I really love helping other people's dreams come to life, but with my own business, it is extra fun to see my own ideas come to fruition.

What else do you do in your spare time? My daytime career is quite demanding, so with my crafty side business, there's not much time to spare! Mostly I just try to spend time with my friends and eat tasty meals together! I've been extremely obsessed with being productive lately, so I tend to use my free moments crocheting or sketching silly ideas on my computer.

What is your advice for people who want to start their own crafty business? There are a kabillion crafty people out there, so if at all possible, try to set yourself a niche, a specialty, a particular manifesto, style, and/or type of crafty item. I think that's helpful in marketing your unique skill and product. I know there is probably a devil's advocate opinion on that one, but it's the philosophy I've chosen for myself!

Everything that makes you realize that the artist and the spectator are one and the same.

It probably won't change your life, but you probably
will.

Be Not Afraid needs writers!
We're looking for dedicated bloggers from any country to write about any interesting events or people in fashion, the diy/craft movement, music, film, or literature- or anyone who has done something unbelievably great for the world in which they live. Interviews or reviews would be good; any dissertations or essays would be good as well. Write about anybody or anything that inspires you.
We also need writers to provide tutorials for diy projects.
E-mail us here if you're interested.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, e-mail us and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.